Device for starting internal-combustion engines.



D. E. CROUSE. DEVICE, FOR STARTING INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLIQATION FILED SEPT. 21, 1911.

1 ,032,274. Patented July 9,1912.

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' I I monuErs navin ELDRIDGE onousn or AnnAroms MARYLAnn.

DEVICE FOB STARTING INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented .nnya, 1912.

Application filed September 21, 1911. Serial Nata 1,490

Toal'l w/wmt may concern: I Be it known that I, DAVIDE. QRoUsn, a citizen of the United States, and a resldent ofAnnapolis, in the county of Anne Arunis de'l and State of Maryland, have made .cer-

tai-ninew and useful Improvements in De-' vices fI.Stl;itlIlg Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specifica- 'tion. in *-My invention relates to devices for starting internal combustion engines,- and it consists inthe constructions, combinations and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An Object of my invention is to provide a device which will permitthe starting of the engine through the action of a spring under tension, and which will restore the spring to its originalposition after the engine is ;started.. go A further object of nay-invention is to providea device in which the starting of'the .engineis accomplished by the movement of af-rack 'into engagement ,with apinion, with means for swingingthe-r'ack out of en- Z5 gagement -with the pinion andca-using-its return to its original position, th'erebyjpermitting the pinion to turn freely with the engine shaft. -=A further object of my invention; is to provide means carried by the rack for operating' the ,air valyes.

Other objects. and advantages will appear in the following specification and the novel features of thedevice will be particularly pointed out in the appendedflcla'ims.

.My invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings forming part of this application in which similar reference characters indicate like parts-in the several views, andinwhich- Figure .1 is a side view of the device, one

of the valves being shown in section, Fig. 2

is a longitudinal section through the device,

Fig. 3 is an end view of the device, Fig. 4 451 is a section along theline H of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a section along the line.5-5 of Fi 2.. 1 carrying out my invention I provide a main cylinder 1 which-is suitably supported in any convenient -position.- Arranged to extend through the cylinder is-a piston rod 2 to which the piston 3 is attached.

Disposed between the piston 3 and one end of the cylinder 1 is a spiral spring 4. A rack 5 is pivotally connected with the piston rod 2 by means of'the arms 55 The rack 5 is arranged to engage a gear 6 on the shaft 7 of the engine (not shown). A trip 8 is normally held in engagement with the end 2 of the iston rod 2 by means of a spring 9, which earsagainst a stationary plate 10. At -ll I have shown a main valve chest which contains a 'slide valve 12,, provided with arms 12 and 12', extending through 5 opposite ends of'the chest. At 13 and-14 are ports each connectingwitha pipe 15, leading to an auxiliary cylinder 16. i The port 13 and an exhaust pipe 117 are adapted to'be brought into communication by means 79 of the passage 12 in the valve 12. A pipe 18 which is connectedto a compressed air supply (not shown) has a branch 19 which may communicate with the passage 129-ii1 the valve 12. A pipe, 20 leads to an auxiliary valve chest 21, which is connected withw the opposite end of the main cylinder 1 bymeans of the ipe 22. Within the cylinder 16 is-a piston v23 against which a spring 24bears. The piston 30 red 25 has a pivoted connection 26,- which is pivotally connected with the ext ension 5*;of the racko at 27 In order tofguid'e the rack in its movement, I provide a plate 28 having an arc-shaped. slot 28, as shown-in Figs. 3135 and 4. At one end of theslot 28f -is the valve stem 29-of-a va'lve 30,which is'normally held by means ofa spring31, downwardly 1n: the; position. shown in Fig. 1.

.This valve is,-;provided. with a port 30 adapted to be brought into registration with the pipe 22 when the valve is raised,'and a recess 30 wh ch normally connects the pipe 22 with-an exhaust opening 30. I

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device. the operation thereof may be readily understood.

Consider the apparatus in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 with the engine dead. The operator v releases the trip 8 10s by pulling upwardly thereon. A spring 4 is under tension"and Tsuddenly drives forward the piston 3, the ,air escaping through the pipe. 22, the recess 30 in the valve 30,

and'the exhaust opening 30. The rack in its forward movement engages the pinion 6, causing the revolution of the shaft 7 and the starting up of the engine. The rack passes entirely out of engagement with the pinion. When the arm 33 on the bar 34 engages the stem 12 of the valve 12, the latter is shifted so as to permit the entrance of air from 31, thereby cutting ofi-thc exhaust 30 the pipe 18, through the port 14 into the pipe 15, and thence into the cylinder 16. The air drives forward the piston 23 in the latter cylinder, thereby swinging the rack laterally on its pivots. As soon as the bar 5" comes into engagement with the lower end of the valve stem 29, the valve 30is shifted upwardly against the tension of the spring and permitting the compressed air to enter throughthe valve casing'21, thence by pipe 22 to the end of the cylinder 1. This forces back the piston and carries the rack toward the rear. The springt is compressed. As soon as the piston rod 2 clears the end of the trip 8, the latter drops down into place, thereby locking the piston rod in position with the spring 4 compressed. The bar 5* slides through the pivoted link connection 26. As soon as the arm 36 on the bar 34 engages the valve stem 12, the valve 12 is brought into the position shown in Fig. 2 and the air will escapelfrom the cylinder 16 by means of the pipe 1,5,ports 13, 12, and by the exhaust 17, being driven out by means of the spring 24 in the cylinder 16. The

rack is therefore swung downwardly into its original posltion, and the device is reset tor again starting the engine.

I claim: '1. In a device for startlng lnternal combustion eng1nes,'a plnlon on the engine shaf a slidable rack arranged to engage said pmion, means for moving said rack into en gagement with said pinion, means for swinging the rack laterally out of the plane of the pinion, means for retracting the rack when out of alinement with the pinion, and means for swinging the rack intoits original position.

2. In a device for starting internal com bustion engines, a pinion on the engine shaft, a pivoted rack arranged to engage said pinion, a spring for moving said rack into engagement with said pinion, pneumatic means for swinging the rack out of al'inement with said pinion, means for retracting the rack when out of ahnement with the plnion, and

a second spring for swinging the rack into its original position.

3. In a device for starting internal combustion engines, apinion on the engine shaft,

a pivoted rack arranged to engage said pin-.

ion, a spring for moving said rack into engagement with said pinion, pneumatic means for swinging the rack out of alinement with said pinion, pneumatic means for retracting the rack when out of alinement with the pinion, and for compressing said spring, and a second spring'for swinging the rack into its original position.

4:. In a device for starting internal CO111- bustion engines, a pinion on the engine shaft, a pivoted rack arranged to engage said pinion, a spring for moving said rack into engagement with said pinion, pneumatic means for swinging the rack out of aline ment with said pinion, pneumatic means for retracting the rack when out of alinement with the pinion and for compressing said spring, a second spring for swinging the rack into its originai position, and a 'pair of valves for conjointly controlling both of saidpneumatic means, each of said valves being actuated by the movement of the rack.

5. In a device for starting internal combustion engines, a pinion on the engine shaft, a pivoted rack arranged to engage sai'gd'pinion, a spring for movingsaid rack ,into enagement with said pinion, pneumatic means Ior swinging the rack out of alinement with said pinion, pneumatic means for retracting the rack when out of alinement with the pinion and for compressing said spring, a second spring for swinging the rack into its original position, and a pair of valves for comointly controlling both of said pneumatic means, one of said valves being actuated by the movement of the rack in one direction and the other being actuated by the movement of the rack in the reverse direction.

DAVID ELDRIDGE ("HOUSE Witnesses:

C. E. PRINCE,

JOHN F. LAYNG.

Copies of this patent me be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Yatents.

Washington, D. C." 

